The Environment : Nature

Thunderstruck by storm fronts? Perplexed about air pressure? Hazy on how weather works? If you’ve always been shaky on the science behind such phenomena, Air, Water, and Weather is designed to help you develop a deep understanding of the basics so you can teach without fear. Best-selling author Bill Robertson acts as your friendly guide, bringing both wisdom and wit to the study of weather. more...

Price: $19.95

On September 6, 2007, an African Grey parrot named Alex died prematurely at age thirty-one. His last words to his owner, Irene Pepperberg, were "You be good. I love you.". What would normally be a quiet, very private event was, in Alex's case, headline news. Over the thirty years they had worked together, Alex and Irene had become famous—two pioneers who opened an unprecedented window into the hidden yet vast world of animal minds. Alex's brain was the size of a shelled walnut, and when Irene and Alex first met, birds were not believed to possess any potential for language, consciousness, or anything remotely comparable to human intelligence. Yet, over the years, Alex proved many things. He could add. He could sound out words. He understood concepts like bigger, smaller, more, fewer, and none. He was capable of thought and intention. Together, Alex and Irene uncovered a startling reality: We live in a world populated by thinking, conscious creatures. The fame that resulted was extraordinary. Yet there was a side to their relationship that never made the papers. They were emotionally connected to one another. They shared a deep bond far beyond science. Alex missed Irene when she was away. He was jealous when she paid attention to other parrots, or even people. He liked to show her who was boss. He loved to dance. He sometimes became bored by the repetition of his tests, and played jokes on her. Sometimes they sniped at each other. Yet nearly every day, they each said, "I love you.". Alex and Irene stayed together through thick and thin—despite sneers from experts, extraordinary financial sacrifices, and a nomadic existence from one univer­sity to another. The story of their thirty-year adventure is equally a landmark of scientific achievement and of an unforgettable human-animal bond. more...

Price: $10.99

Do you know. . . whether penguins feel the cold?. which animal "sees" with its nose?. why the Arctic fox changes colour with the seasons?. where you would find a grasshopper’s ears?. All the questions you could ever think to ask about the animal kingdom. are answered here. Stuffed with eye-popping pictures and far-out facts. about the natural world, Amazing Animals takes you on. a weird and wonderful walk on the wild side!. The Structure. Amazing Animals is divided into five fascinating chapters –. Senses, Fight or Flight, Camouflage and Colour, Extreme Living, and On the Move –. and features a diverse range of mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, insects, and fish. From bugs that build homes from mud to lizards that run on water, and from spiders with. eight eyes to mammals that play dead, the book is crammed with fascinating facts about the. animal kingdom. more...

Price: $12.99

Presents the dramatic story of the stubborn optimists who refused to let the American chestnut go. This book relates their quest to save the tree through methods that ranged from classical plant breeding to cutting-edge gene technology. It features unconventional characters who have fought for the tree for a century, undeterred by setbacks. more...

Price: $27.50

Amino acid metabolism and nutrition of farm animals continues to be an active area of research. Fully updated, this second edition discusses the nutrition of a wider range of species, including companion animals. There are species-specific chapters on pigs, poultry, ruminants and companion animals. more...

Price: $190.00